hard earned future. a real look at the american dream. "hard earned". sunday, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm david schusterr tonight, building bridges. the prime minister of india made a surprising visit to the pakistan's minister. they have fought three wars and each military has nuclear weapons. in syria, key opposition leader was killed today by a russian air strike. his loss is a major setback.

in the united states tribal pot, a group of native americans in washington state has opened up a marijuana store and now other tribes want in on the action. we begin tonight with a major diplomatic break through between india and apakistan. a short time ago india's prime minister made a previously unannounced visit to lahorre pakistan to meet with that country's prime minister at his home. the leaders metaphor two hours and talked about improving ties. india's prime minister also reportedly blasted the pakistani's grand-daughter on her upcoming wedding. >> reporter: neighbors not

friends is perhaps how the relationship between these two nations could be described. this was not only a surprise visit by an indian prime minister to pakistan but an historic one. no indian head of government has visited the neighbouring country in more than a decade. back home in india one of modi's political allies see this as a political moment. the have >> translation: the prime minister said if pakistan takes a step further, then india was ready to take two steps forward. the steps taken must become because if it will improve, it will build nations and the world. >> reporter: that's a large task for a rivalry that has gone back to the days of independence. three wars have been fought since they were split back into two countries in 1947. two of the conflicts were about a region which they both claimed

ownership to. not all india politicians think this meeting arranged at short notice is a good idea. >> if the decision is not preposterous, then it is utterly ridiculous. you do not conduct diplomacy at the apex level in such a cavalier manner. >> reporter: that conceptism isn't unexpected considering the history of distrust, but the two leaders looked relaxed enough at the residence of the president. the building has been deck crated for his grand door's upcoming wedding in syria there has been a major setback for opposition forces battling the regime of bashar al-assad. a key rebel leader was killed by an air strike. people say his death will give bashar al-assad's forces a

significant boost. >> reporter: he was the most powerful rebel commander in damascus suburbs. his headquarters were only a few kilometres away from president bashar al-assad's palace. he was released from prison by bashar al-assad a few months after the start of the syrian up rising. he rose to prominence in 2013 when he convinced many armed groups to form an army of more than 20,000 well-trained, unarmed fighters. a few months ago he attended a military parade. it was the biggest force by the opposition. unlike most rebel factions with units across the country, the army of islam has one base on the outskirts of damascus, with one task, waiting for the government to colonel appears to

march into-- collapse to march into the capital and secure it. this is where he was killed. he was meeting with military commanders. the syrian army says he was killed in an air strike carried out by a syrian fighter jet. the syrian opposition says the death of him may undermine the chance for internationally brokered talks between the rebels and the syrian government. he was not only a military commander, he was also a prominent preacher with many followers in the damascus area. with his death, the future of the arm of islam is uncertain. in 2013 the syrian government killed a charismatic commander.

a year later many leaders were killed in idlib, the key rebel groups never recovered from the loss of their founders. >> he was a major figure. he was a commander in the organization built from a small company in 2011 to now an organization with 26 command centers, 64 battalions and between 45,000 to 50,000 fighters. >> reporter: this is his success successor, who has been in charge of annie lit unit-- an elite unit in the arm of islam. >> reporter: he should be remembered as a man who prevented i.s.i.l. and the al-nusra front from expanding towards damascus and that his death could pave the way for

i.s.i.l. and the al-nusra front to launch an offensive to capture the outskirts of the capital in aleppo, syria, the popular's most populated city, at least 14 people were killed in a hospital. this is not the first time the hospital has been attacked. russian planes also bombed a nearby gas station. many citizens are supportive and attacks in syrian have intensified after last month a russian fighter jet was shot down. syria's civil war was a big female for pope francis today. he - as many as 3 ah,000 heave gees are stucked in greece are trying to enter macedonia every day - 3500.

new regulations are not making life easier. >> reporter: tired but determined to carry on, heading into the unknown to start a new life. the border here has been tightened with new restrictions. only iraqis, syrians and after begans are allowed in-- afghans are allowed in. macedonia is next. march have escaped wars, rape and unrest. this is a town that until recently was under i.s.i.l.'s control in northern iraq. >> translation: sinjar was cleared from i.s.i.l. but everyone there established their own authority. we decided either we live in peace or die together trying. >> reporter: the journey remains long and hard. their next goal is to cross through macedonia, then to serbia and beyond. the flow of refugees crossing

the borrower der to macedonia is constant. over 3400 people went through on thursday. some of them were subjected to ill treatment and push backs by the macedonian border police. >> reporter: volunteers it and aid groups are doing what they can to help. >> there is a camp with medical services, we have shelter which is covered and heated. >> reporter: some greek charities in the area are also cooperating, a group of chefs and volunteer s are preparing hot meals. >> if we not give people the food when they need it, we're nothing for us. >> reporter: about 20 minutes drive from the border this gas station became a waiting point. families rest and wait to be allowed top continue their journey. some of them have arrived the night before. some greek and american protestant groups felt it's time to preach.

>> we are giving people some free magazines. >> reporter: handing arabic and fasi leaflets and copies of the bible. dozens of people have their stories to tell. this is a pharmacist from syria. he says the treatment he has got here is rough. >> translation: we've slept in a bus, no toilets, no food. i want to live in dignity and have a better life for my children. >> reporter: for many here the risk is worth it. there is hope for a better and a safer future. despite the hurdles on the way in the united states over the past four years the total number of syrians who have entered this country is about two thousand. president obama has promised to ratchet that number higher to ten thousand next year alone. many republican governors and a few democratingics oppose the refugees efforts. chris christie has been opposed.

paul beeben went to new jersey to get the perspective there of a syrian family who calls that state home >> reporter: for most parents in america, children coming home from school is a precious but, perhaps, mundane moment, but these parents aren't like most. they're syrian refugees and for them these mundane moments, a normal day at school, a quiet dinner are much more than precious. they're all they have. >> when you left what were you able to take with you? >> translation: nothing. we hurried the children to the car and we drove away. >> reporter: that was no more than three years ago when they in fled the city of jib lib. he-- idlib. she was a lawyer and she a housewife. they were prosperous and ordinary, they say, until war

came to idlib and ripped that life apart. >> translation: where we lived was a major crash point between the opposition and the regime. we heard a blast when a shell had hit our house's wall. >> reporter: they moved more than once, but everywhere they went fight attack and fear followed. in september of 2012 they put the children in a car and drove to turkey. >> translation: every minute of every hour we were expecting to die. there was no choice but to leave. >> reporter: it must have been terrifying. >> translation: of course it was difficult, but sometimes circumstances are stronger than any decision. >> reporter: the family stayed in turkey for two and a half years until they applied for refugee status with the united nations. six months ago the international rescue committee helped them settle in elizabeth, new jersey. they emigrated from sir with his

parents 35 years ago. he is a businessman now. since the war began in 2011, he has been doing everything he can to help both here in the u.s. and in syrian refugee camps >> it is a catastrophe in syria. we spend so far about-- sent so far about 27 containers to syrian i can't with generators-- food. they were so happy. >> reporter: jewish eddy is helping this family. the children are doing well in school. six-year-old who has autism is getting the help she needs. he is trying to learn english

and looking for work. the family makes ends meet with u.s. support and donations from the local syrian community. >> translation: our thoughts are always with family and friends left behind, but thank god we have a better life here in america. >> reporter: a better life despite the angry talk about muslims and refugees in the wake of the attacks in paris and california. that talk has them worried. >> translation: people think islam is a religion of terror, violence and blood. no. it is not like that. god willing, we will work on that. >> reporter: the children are already dreaming big. 11-year-old wants to be a paediatrician and some day return to syria. >> i miss my country, but, like, i know it is better and safer here. >> reporter: what do you want for your children? >> translation: our goal is to provide them were a good

education to secure a good future for them, god willing. >> reporter: now do you feel you're some place safe where you can rebuild and have a new life? >> translation: in america we feel there is justice and we feel we can improve our lives. god willing, we hope things will get better. >> reporter: they aren't alone. on sunday evening they joined other refugees families at an islamic cultural center in northern new jersey. >> translation: of course, i miss my country, but thank god we made sure our kids are safe. >> reporter: they're all struggling, but all grateful to be anywhere but syria there was a large gas explosion yesterday in south-eastern nigeria and officials now report that as many as 100 people may have been killed. thursday's blast happened as a

truck was filling up tanks of butane. the ex-explosion sparked a fire that burned for more than five hours. bodies were brunts beyond recognition. it also damaged homes. in the southern united states this has been an somber communities with tornadoes. a group pushing to cash in on legalized marijuana.

in the south-eastern united states which has already been pounded this week by severe storms, the weather forecast is again calling for more rain and strong winds. it means the communities in half a dozen states now engaged in clean up and recover efforts may not get a break. our correspondent has more.

>> reporter: the holy spirit of giving - holiday spirit of giving, donations are pouring in and clean up after the storms. >> christmas, whether i have presents or not, that is not going to change christmas for me. >> reporter: these people lost their homes where one torn a dough caused-- tornado caused damage over 100 miles. 120 tore through seven states this week >> it's a crimea miracle-- christmas miracle because we were right there. >> reporter: parts of georgia and alabam a are on the lookout for heavy raining. >> we woke up to civil defense pounding on our door telling us we had about 20 minutes to leave our homes. >> reporter: it is a white christmas around the greater lake tahoe area. snow is welcomed at ski resorts

but avalanche controls and shut roadways. >> having to shut down, super big inconvenience for folks, but it is right now all about safety >> reporter: an 80-mile stretch remained closed more than 24 hours disrupting holiday plans for travellers in are ken saw, an act of arson. minimal damage to the back of the house, a home designated as a national historic site. they could smell an acceleratant at the scene. the police found the home's door and walkway spray-painted with graffiti. president clinton lived in the home. marijuana use is legal now in 23 states in the u.s. and the district of colombia.

some native american reservations want in on the action. >> reporter: a rainy north-west night lit up by smiles and cheers. the island nation here makes history opening the first recreational pot store on reservation land. >> the times are change possessing and it's better to be the first than to copy somebody else that did it first >> reporter: arnold cooper isn't a big fan of legalized marijuana but sees it a good deal. >> if we don't do it, our neighbour will do. so why not benefit, take advantage of the benefit and help our tribe grow. >> reporter: not far away another tribe is said to tap the same revenue flow for the same

reasons. construction moving fast at the marijuana shop just down the street from this tribe's casino and water front resort complex. store manager still a bit stunned by it all. >> i never thought that would happen. i started as an 18-year-old kid in starbucks killing here and i'm going to now be selling our tribes marijuana. >> we have a responsibility to our tribal members and community to look at all the different economic opportunities that come along and this was definitely one that came along. >> reporter: sales at the stores will be taxed at the same level as elsewhere, but the tribes will keep that tax money, not give it to the state. the tribes side with the communities. a reminder nor all tribes considering growing processing

or selling marijuana marijuana. >> first and foremost it remains illegally federally. it's a schedule 1 controlled substance that without a doubt or without any ambiguity whatsoever ask illegal and it's-- is criminally illegal. >> reporter: guides have been given in relation to the drug. keep tight control of pot, keep kids and criminal elements away and we probably won't bother you. how much legal weight do those guidelines carry? >> virtually none. it is not a statute or regulation, not even a policy or sop of the department of justice. it is a memorandum he. it is simply a memo. >> reporter: as a result, he says most tribes are taking a wait and see approach, but not all. the nation in new york approved medical marijuana in an election day vote. south dakota cancelled plans for a pot resort and burned their

first crop after talks with the justice department. in california, the sheriff's department buffeted a marijuana grow site and processing lab. another reservation was raided showing 3,000 plants were pulled out. so far these are the only ones going into the retail recreational pot business. tribal members here dismissed concerns about more marijuana access on the reservation. even though the rates of drug use and abuse are high in indian country compared with other populations. >> this is not one of the things that we're overly concerned that opening up a marijuana store says that we endorse marijuana for our use to do. this is a drug that is for 21 and older, collar to alcohol. >> reporter: a few tribes

gambling in this will be their latest cash cow in iran authorities allowed the family of imprisoned journalist to visit him for christmas. his mother and wife were given extended visitation hours around said they brought him a home cooked meal. the washington correspondent pictured here has been in prison for more than 500 days. he sent a message to his colleagues saying how much he appreciates their support and he wished everyone a happy and productive new year. pope francis offered a prayer for peace as he delivered his christmas message. he said he hoped that efforts in syria and libya would end the suffering in those countries. he also addressed other conflicts in africa, ukraine and the middle east. >> translation: may israelis and palestinians resume direct

dialogue. and reach an agreement which will enable the two peoples to live together in harmony the pope also said his thoughts were with the victims of the brutal acts of terrorism, as he put it, in paris, beirut, egypt and molly. president obama and first lady used their message to honor the u.s. forces >> every day, our brave military members serve to keep us safe >> as we win snow ball fights, let's all take time to pay attribute to those who have given our country so much. go to joining forces dot govern to see how you can serve them in your community they're in hawaii on their annual holiday.

thanks for watching. we will see you back here at 10 p.m. eastern. more on our top story and that is the latest on syria where forces suffered a setback in their leadership today. it's not always pretty, but it's real... and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight.

continue with we talk with the biggest authors of 2015 where they find inspiration. i wasn't expecting to write a book how they developed their unique writing styles. >> that is a great question. i'm not sure anyone has asked me what it took to get a president to open up. >> they really do the record to be clear tonight the personal stories behind their best-selling books. >> thank you for having me and i can explain myself i'm john seigenthaler. we hope you're enjoying the holidays. a special ed addition. we take a look back at some of our interviews with authors who had the biggest books of the year. patricia cornwell has sold more than a hundred million books. her famous character, the

medical examiner, is back working on another mysterious crime. i started by asking patricia how she does her research >> i go out and explore. i am a combination of a journalist and an investigator. what i do is if i want to learn about a certain type of firearm i will go to texas and practice with that gun. you're using experts to learn about the physicss of it. if it is a certain type of case, i need to go to the lab or morgue, or i'm seeing thousands of autopsys you had a fascination with the morgue, the job of a medical examiner? >> i didn't. i was intrigued because when i was a police reporter at the charge lot observer-- charlotte observer, they would never answer map phone calls. they were people who didn't call you. i decided to write crime fix, to get started in that, i said i

don't know what the medical examiner would do here. i will have to research this because i didn't get to as a journalist. i got permission to go to a medical examiner's office, it got a tour. one of the few people who would do such a thick and then i said i want to stay here and learn all this. let me do anything to just hang out. i want to - they were talking about d.n.a. and laser's and all the labs upstairs. i thought, wow, this is a universe nobody knows about. so i decided to tackle it is true crime stranger than fix some snichlt yes. true crime is superannuationer than-- stranger than fix. i've seen things in the real world that i won't write because bus they're horrible. some are so strange, you don't want to laugh, but they're so absurd. somebody who leaves the pub

drunk and are hit by a car. there will be an encounter that will change the course of your life. you don't know whether to laugh or to cry. they had an encounter but not the one they wanted. you're looking at each other and you said this is an absurd moment. if i put this in a novel people might not believe it. i've seen the wrong dentures in the wrong mouth, and glasses put on the wrong body. all kinds of weird stuff go on this book flows so well and i wondered as i read it, how you write dialogue and where does that come from. how does it come so naturally to you? >> that's such a great question. i'm not sure anyone has asked me that. here is my dirty little secret. i would travel alone and sit in restaurants alone and i would eavesdrop not because i cared about their stories, but their dialogue. if you listen to the way people talk, they don't talk in complete sentences. reading hemmingway, he has beautiful dialogue.

that sounds hue people talk and you have to listen. it's not about construction of sentences but recreakeding what people do and then it's believable if you do it it's also the detail. the detail that is clear that you know the subject you're talking about. how deep do you go? >> goy as deep as i need to go-- i go as deep as i need no go. as long as it's okay, i don't go around killing people to see what it's like, or at least i wouldn't admit to if, by i drill into it, put on those boots because when i come back i'm like the hunter and gatherer, i will bring in my booty from what i've done for the day and then i want you to have the experience what are your goals in terms of writing in the next 10 years? >> the last book i wrote is going to work a crime scene on the moon. i don't know if i want to go there though. i'm thinking of landing on the moon. we don't have a shuttle, but there is the possibility of down the road because it's not really

joking, if you did something to astronauts on the moon, scarpetta would have to go through here you live through here re her. >> i was a lonely little kid when i grew up. i've made up imaginary friends and i have done it again. she sends me omissions only i don't ride bicycles any more you for that >> thank you now to john meechan. he has written about presidents like jefferson and jackson. george hw bush is the new one. the former president allowed meechan exclusive access to his personal taped diarys and other material. >> the reason he cooperated with

this, the reason he gave me his diaries and mrs bush gave me his diaries, is they do want the record to be clear. he wasn't attacking his son. he thought his son used rhetoric that was too hot, but-- that's a criticism of his son >> yes of another president of the united sthats and his son, right >> it is. it is striking that he articulated it, but i think he had reached a point where me wanted to make the point for history that diplomacy in force are not competitive but complementary. i think that's what it was the striking thing about this book, which there are so many, but the striking thing to me is that the father and son never had this discussion before; start? . >> no. i think you and i have, but this is the odd intersection of two forces. one is the senior about bush's reflectionive deference to the uptolder of the office of the

presidency. whoever was president, bush thought the duty of a citizen was to do what that president thought was best for that citizen to do. intersecting with george w bush's not particularly welcoming posture for advice. that's a diplomatically as i can put it. they talked a lot about family, ignore the new yorke times, screw cbs news, whatever it would be he calls his son out for the rhetoric he used, access of evil, but he talked about evil when he was president. >> that's right. there was a george bush who was willing to risk impeachment for going to war, but another. the distance is not as great. what has happened, i think, is the passions of the reaction

against george w bush in his two terms after the glow of 9/11 faded. the fer onsity of that-- ferocit drecks have looked back, forgetting parts of him that he could be stubborn, he was determined to go into and free kuwait almost immediately. he too had a unilateral streak but he did produce two sons who were incredible leaders, whether you agree with them or not >> sure in this country. one of the president of the united states, another one eight governor. he-- a governor. he must have said these things about george w bush and the war and his advisers before jeb decided to run, but he must have also known it could have a big impact on jeb's political career, right? >> what he says? yes. >> i'm still resisting that.

maybe i'm just being obtuse. jeb bush has a problem with a person called donald, and it's not rumsfeld. now jeb is liberated to pick sides. i just don't really see that. i think george hw bush told me some things about cheney, rumsfeld, about his son, about disagreements he had. these are big, big boys managing massive world problems at the pin axle of power and-- pinnacle of power, and it's not as though he said something that a lot of us didn't suspect he thought. i don't see how it complicates jeb's life. i think he has can complicatess in his life but i don't think his father has complicated it it is the talk of the town. this book called designee in power, the american odyssey of george bush. thank you. >> thank you.

i appreciate it coming up next on our program. >> we had doesn't cause rape. rape causes rape how surviving a brutal climb placed her on a journey of a lifetime. teams across america and beyond. >> we've got global news covered.

welcome back. tonight we continue our look back at some of our conversations with 2015's best-selling authors. a young woman with an incredible story. her story is girl in the woods. it tells how she took a 3,000 mile journey up the pacific coast in order to reclaim her body and her mind after being raped on the second night of college. i asked her about the challenges she faced reliving that experience in order to write her book. >> i feel like in a way it was harder because i had to not only, like, reexperience the smell of his skin or sort of relive appeared return to these moments in order to write them, but i also had to make sense of them good you think that if you took this journey that your focus-- did you think - on what had happened to you would slip

away, that you wouldn't have to concentrate or think about it? >> it was only after my belief in the infrastructure that i'd believed in for so long that i had always been told to put my faith in, in the u.s. college education, until it failed me. my college found the boy who had raped me to be innocent and that meant that i was guilty of lying. i had no more reason to stay what was that like? how tough was that? >> it was devastating. again, i put my faith in a system. i went through the college's conflict mediation process, which in retrow speck expect

is-- retrospect, which is absurd. they said you could go to the police but you have no evidence but nothing will really come of it because you've waited more than 72 hours, so it is too long to perform a rape kit, or you could go through the college's mediation process or you could do nothing. they were the three options presented to movement obviously, the first was presented in a very bad light and doing nothing is doing nothing. the rape response coordinator, who i went to, told me we will get a conviction and he will be expelled. again, in retrospect, how absurd that, you know, the punishment, even if this were the case, even if she were correct and this were true, the punishment for sexual assault, a violent felony, is you have to leave this school. but, in fact, that isn't what happened. i wrote my testimony and he wrote his testimony and i

remember when the mediator handed me his testimony and i read it, he did not claim that we had had consensual sex. he simply wrote that we had had not sex and that absolutely blew my mind. so they found him to be innocence. they allowed him to remain on campus, which really upset me. i remember the mediator said to me, "well, you know, if he is accused of raping another girl we will take it very seriously" they told you, going through this process, you don't get any justice in the process and they say maybe the next time >> yeah. so when he potentially ruins someone else's life then we will take it seriously all of these things you've

done takes tremendous occur age. >> thank you. couragen in the face of people who say you are lying. what would you say to other women who have endured sexual assault and go through similar things. what would you want to say? >> this was not your fault. short shorts don't cause rape, weed doesn't cause rape, vodka doesn't cause rape. rapests cause rape. no-one causes rapes but rapists. you have to know that and really know that. let yourself know that. any shame you're feeling is misplaced shame. it is not shame on you; it's shame on him an important and powerful story. it is called girl in the woods. thank you. >> thank you so much we continue our program now with a trip to the city of detroit. author david maraniss is known

for the research he puts into his work and in his latest book he dives into the glory days of detroit, his home town. it is called once in a great city. a detroit city. although it detailed the peak in the city, it says signs of a decline were already there. i asked him what inspired him to write the book >> i wasn't expecting to write a book about detroit until the bowl in 2011, during half-time watching the super bowl, and it saw a-- i saw a commercial. first i saw the highway sign that said detroit and that made me pay attention and then all of these iconic images of detroit, the joe illegal use, the-- lewis, heavy weight champ, murals of detroit history, and eminem, walking into the

gloryous faction theatre, a black rising, and eimen pointing and saying this is the motor city. this is what we do. i choked up. they were just selling chryslers, but it meant a lot to me t i thought about what it gave america and what i could write you focused on the year, 1963. tell us why. >> this was a period when detroit was booming. there are four main themes or threads of the books. automobiles, music, motown, the sown track of my generation, the labor movement in america, the united auto workerss was really the heart of the labor movement and civil rights. detroit was key to civil rights during that period of the 60s. so that period allowed me to focus intensely on those four themes. i use the metaphor of my work where i set up an oil rig somewhere and dig as deeply as i

can. that period allowed me to show what detroit gave america, but also the seats of its own collapse this was the golden year, or one of the golden year for detrots, but the cracks were beginning even then. >> absolutely. a socialist that said detroit was on its way by losing half a million people by the end of 1960s and that depopulation would continue for the foreseeable future stripping the city of its tax base. part of it was the auto industry, a one-company town, the auto industry moving away from the city, the racial tension of the city and the unwitting negative aspects of urban renewal was called knee grow removal. some parts were already showing the signs of weakness what happened to the auto industry? what did the awe move by the auto industry to leave leave to

get out of detroit, what did it do to that city? >> it was devastating and it was short-sighted in many ways. the movement of the auto industry out of detroit had begun before 63. in the 1950s they started moving to the suburbs, plants to different cities and states and really into the world, but also more importantly, leaving detroit emotionally. that was really the key. so when i talked to auto executives today, more than a half century later, they all regret that they left behind the heart of detroit. the people that built the auto industry really living in detroit and they were sort of left behind just to sort of sink or swim and they sank. detroit has a long ongoing collapse and the leaving the auto industry was the key to that we've all seen the pictures of the city, the houses that had been abandoned and the damage done by the recession and the

auto industry leaving. is detroit back on a road to recovery or not? >> you know, i think it is. i'm a journalist and historian so i'm sceptical but optimistic, but since the book came out, i was back to detroit four times and every time i've seen more energy this book is called once a great city, a detroit story by david maraniss. thank you for being with us. we appreciate it >> >> thank you john coming up next on our program >> mostly everybody i know, i would say 93% never got paid rock and roll little anthony tells us his stories behind his biggest hit.

welcome back. i'm john seigenthaler. tonight we continue with little anthony. you know his name and his music. a remarkable voice and entertainer. his songs like tears on my pillow and going out of my head defined a decade. i talked to him about his new mom ewer and memoir and how he got his nickname >> they took the tears on my pillow to the winds at that time.

it was a huge disc jockey and they played it for him. he said wow, that's a great voice for that girl. that girl can sing. that's not a girl. that's a guy. he said, "well, he must be awfully little. what's his name? ". his name is anthony. little anthony tears on my pillow, hurt so bad. going out of my head. >> did you ever imagine that those sings you helped make famous would live for five decades and beyond? -- songs. >> that i did. tears on my pillow. i was young and i didn't know, but there was something about

going out of my head meant it was something special here. >> i'm reaching so badly, i can't think of anything but you you say in this book when you were younger the imperials squandered, were ripped off and got caught up in our own celebrity. how did that happen? >> that's wait it was. you've got kids out of brooklyn. none of those would be rocket scientists. we didn't have proper representation. 90% didn't get paid as much as they were supposed to when you read this book, you talk about things that are very personal, not always flattering. >> no was that tough to do? >> yes. i told a story about my son

casey. for 26 t-- a 26 year old kid that about died that got mixed up. he played football and he got injured a lot and so he started taking the pain pills and all that kind you stuff. i remember that he had a child. he tried to hide from my wife and i and we found out about it. the little child ration about two years-- was about two years old at that point. what's going on? what is this? i'm getting on him to be that typical father, i'm going to be very wise, show him how you do things and i remember he ran up the stairs and he turned around to me and he says, why can't you just love me? larking back now i wish i could do it again, bah i can't. i can't do it. many stories like that, my time with the civil rights movement, and being down at a time when you're 18, i had to go down

there and see colored white, this, that you were going through your exciting career when the country was going through a revolution >> yes. absolutely in civil rights >> right in the middle of it you experienced it first hands. how much was de-- first how much. how much was race infected into yours? >> yes. it was very difficult for me in the south. i was way out of my element. i go back to south today, it is a new south. the same place where i felt humiliated, now i'm accepted the book is called little anthony, my journey, my designee. it is a pleasure to meet you >> it is my pleasure. thank you for having me so i can explain myself that's our program.

thanks to all the authors who have shared their story. we would like to wish everyone a happy holiday. thank you for watching. i'm john seigenthaler. see you back here next time. i'm ali velshi. on target tonight. homeless on the home front. let's get those who fought so bravely for america off the street and into stable housing for good. 49,933. that is the government's most recent estimate of how many american veterans are homeless